U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,667,043 and 6,085,879, hereby incorporated by reference herein, disclose torque converters.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a prior art torque converter 10, for example as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,043. Torque converter 10 contains a cover 2, an impeller 32, a turbine 30, a stator 34 and a lock-up clutch 38. Lock-up clutch 38 includes a piston 28, a plate 40, and friction linings 24, 26. Between cover 2 and piston 28 is a chamber 20. Turbine 30 is oriented concentrically to a hub axis 4. Connected to cover 2 via a weld is a bearing neck 6 which is guided into a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. Bearing neck 6 and a support ring 8 form one piece, referred to as a pilot 14. Pilot 14 includes a flow guide 16 which can extend into chamber 20. Piston 28 is connected via leaf springs 22 to a ring plate 18. Ring plate 18 can be pressed to support ring 8. Support ring 8 is connected to a turbine hub 12 via a bearing 42. Turbine hub 12 is mounted on a drive shaft 36.